Watery Breeze
by MyCurrentObsession
Summary: Gracefulshipping. A look into Wallace and Winona's past: how they came together, what their relationship was like, and what tore them apart. On hiatus; possibly discontinued.
1. Enter Winona

AN- Hello all! It's been a while, but I am BACK! School sucked me in, but I've temporarily escaped it's grasp and decided to celebrate by writing a new Pokemon fic. It won't be that long, but I still think it'll be good. Gracefulshippers should like it, even though it'll end sadly. (yeah, I've already planned that far ahead; I just need to figure out what goes in the _middle _of the fic… ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing, unfortunately. BUT! I DO own a straight A report card! (is shamelessly happy of said fact)Heh heh.

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**Chapter One: Enter Winona**

Something not many knew about the lovely yet distant Winona is that she was afraid of, of all things, commitment. This irrational fear spawned from the fact that, at a young age, she witnessed many scenes between her parents that a girl of her tender age should _not _have had to have seen. Memories of the scars and bruises her mother wore were burned permanently into the girl's mind, causing her fear of commitment and the possibility of something similar happening to her to form.

Needless to say, she wasn't all that upset when, at age ten, her father finally just up and left Fortree City, leaving she and her mother to recover.

Now, ten was the age upon most to-be trainers would receive their starter pokemon, but for Winona, that was too soon. She couldn't bear to leave her mother alone, not yet. She could put her dream of becoming her town's next gym leader on hold for a few years, she decided. Helping her mother back into health after everything her father had put her through was the most important thing.

Yes, Winona's dream was to become a gym leader. She considered it an honor beyond all belief, as gym leaders were entrusted with protecting their town. Even young, she knew that it would take someone responsible, and she trained herself to be so. Her dream _would _come true some day. She knew it.

It was at age thirteen that Winona received her first pokemon. It was not one of the starters a normal trainer would get, but a gift from her mother. Knowing of her daughter's dream to one day take over the flying-based gym, the woman had gone out and captured a Swablu as a birthday gift. The girl had been ecstatic.

Even as a trainer, Winona was reluctant to leave, though. Her mother had developed a serious illness, and she did not want to leave her like so. Still, she needed some way to become a better trainer, as well. And so, she enlisted as an assistant for the gym leader of Fortree City at that time- a nice guy with serious eyes and a warm heart. He would coach her directly for the next three years, it was decided.

Unfortunately, her peace and happiness during this period was not meant to last.

At fifteen, Winona's mother's illness became worse- _much _worse. The woman spent a few weeks in the hospital with no change before the inevitable finally happened: Her mother died. The young girl was broken, and stricken with grief beyond all belief.

It was… the first time she'd cried since before her father had left.

Nonetheless, she did recover, and continued to train under the gym leader's guidance. Finally, the three years of her internship had passed, and she then finally left Fortree city with the Feather Badge in hand.

It was at sixteen that she became a _real _trainer.

She immediately set out for the closest city with a gym: Mauville City. At this time, she had two pokemon, a near-evolving, specially colored Taillow and a recently-evolved Altaria. Now, she could have flown constantly on Altaria, but decided to do so only when necessary, so as to strengthen her pokemon. By the time she reached Mauville, her Taillow had evolved into a specially colored Swellow.

With her power-packed team, she was a fair match against the gym leader, a guy named Wattson. He was a pretty weird guy who constantly laughed and used electric-type pokemon. He had a type-advantage, so needless to say, it had been a tough match. Winona just barely won him, earning the Dynamo Badge.

She then traveled north, heading towards Lavaridge Town, where another gym would await her. As she had nothing she couldn't cross by just walking, she went at a leisurely pace, enjoying the sights. Soon enough, she added a Wingull to her collection, and next, a Murkrow.

A few months passed during her slow but peaceful trek, and she finally reached a small town a little over halfway to her actual destination goal.

She was sixteen and a half when she reached the little town known as Fallarbor.

She was sixteen and a half… when she met him.

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AN- …And that's the first chapter (technically, the prologue, but whatever…)! So, I know it's kinda short, but tell me what you think anyway! I _promise _that all the chapters won't be this short. They'll usually be just over a thousand words… I think. Anyways, I'll try and update soon! Stay tuned!


	2. Enter Wallace

AN- Eh he… yeah, I've taken WAYYYYY longer than I said I would. Sorry! I'm really thankful for the reviews I got! On a different note, I read book 28 of Pokemon Adventures today, and… it SCREWED what I had planned for this fic. Totally and completely annihilated it. I'll have to change things up now…

Disclaimer: I own nothing, though I WISH I owned Silver and Gold, my fave male characters (and also my guilty pleasure pairing, heh).

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**Chapter Two: Enter Wallace**

Wallace was, not so surprisingly, very fond of beautiful things. Still, at the time, that fact wasn't quite so important.

What surprised most about the young man, who, at the time, was about eighteen, was the fact that he was _very _indecisive. In fact, ever since the time he'd been about ten, when he received his first pokemon, Luvdisc, a gift from his foster parents, -Wallace had lost his real parents at the age of two, before he even really got to know and love them, due to a storm at sea. The one bad thing about living in the beautiful Sootopolis City was the fact that it flooded frequently and had very bad storms and tidal waves on occasion. -Wallace had had not one, but _three _dreams of what he wanted to do with his life.

The very first thing he ever wanted to do was to become a pokemon coordinator. He very much so loved to show off the beauty of his pokemon, and couldn't stand to see them any other way, so it had been the perfect occupation, he'd thought.

Of course, that plan interfered with his other big wish, to become the Pokemon Champion of Hoenn. At the age of thirteen, he had discovered that besides being able to expertly show off beauty, he had the ability to command his pokemon just so and perform battles like a true professional. And really, what better role for a pro trainer than that of the best trainer in the Hoenn region?

His third, and less liked, choice was to take over the gym of Sootopolis. Wallace didn't particularly want to become a gym leader, but he had always liked the idea of having a position of high respect in his city, as his childhood days of the teasing he endured for his eccentricities stuck with him. Of course, any fool who dared tease him back then was then shown up, be it with brains, brawn, or beauty. Wallace never let himself be slandered without a fight.

Still, he never managed to cut his options down, no matter how hard he thought about it. When he started his journey at the age of seventeen, his late start due to his reluctance to leave his beautiful home and have to fight his way through the ocean for at least a week before finally reaching land, he still had all three ideas firmly in mind. He left Sootopolis City with his first gym badge, acquired from his mentor, Juan, who had trained him from age fourteen, and ruled the gym. According to Juan, Wallace's battling skills far surpassed his own, and it had been with great happiness that the Rain Badge had been given to the boy.

He immediately charted a course to the nearest gyms and thus his journey began. He won the Mind, Feather, and Dynamo Badges no problem before heading out to Verdanturf Town, which was luckily nearby Mauville, and getting the first set of his ribbon collection. Not to say that all this was done in no time at all- it actually took Wallace two weeks, if not a whole month, in between each gym battle to prepare himself. The contests were much easier for him, but still not a total breeze. Needless to say, his group of pokemon, which had steadily increased in number since his leave and now reached the maximum six limit, had become a power-packed bunch of beauties. He was eighteen by the time his journey (at least the gym part) was halfway through.

His next destination was the town of Fallarbor, which had the next contest and, as an added bonus, was en route to Lavaridge, where another gym awaited him. Still, he'd begun to realize that taking on _three _ideals in one journey was quite taxing. His pokemon were exhausted, as was he. Upon reaching Fallarbor, he made a decision: he _must _choose one dream to chase before leaving again.

He realized immediately that it would be no easy feat, and so sought help in the form of a lovely lady he spotted loitering around near the Pokemon Center. He could see only her back, true, but she still seemed to posses what he did not: unrivaled elegance, even in uncertainty, and probably some kind of clear goal, as well. That in mind, Wallace approached her.

"Excuse me, miss." He tapped her on the shoulder, and she tensed before turning cautiously. He'd no way of knowing, but she'd recently had trouble with men chasing her, and she was wary of everyone.

"Yes?" One word- a velvety soft voice accompanying it. The beautiful sound caused Wallace to tense. He was almost afraid to look at her face. If her voice alone was beautiful enough to cause _that _kind of effect out of _him, _then just imagine how she looked! Nevertheless, he lowered his head and eyes to her height, his gaze sweeping over sleek and beautifully styled lavender bangs and fair skin before meeting her equally stunning and equally lavender eyes.

One glance. One meeting, and yet- Wallace was already smitten beyond belief.

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AN- Whew! Finally finished another chapter! I'm sorry if I made it seem a lot more would happen within this chapter, but I wanted to give Wallace a back-story, too. Besides, it gets a LITTLE bit further into their meeting than Winona's ch. did. I PROMISE that the next chapter will have their FULL first meeting plus a little bit extra (maybe). Hope you keep reading (and reviewing…)!


	3. First Meeting

AN- Uh… hi everyone! Sorry again for the long wait! Really, with as short as the chapters are, you'd think I could polish 'em off faster. Anyways, enjoy the meeting of the two!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except various Pokemon games and the plot to this story.

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**Last Time- **_One glance, one meeting, and yet- Wallace was already smitten beyond belief._

**First Meeting**

For a few years now, Winona had known that she had become an exceptionally beautiful woman. For that same amount of time, she had tried not to care. She never tried to look positively stunning or commented on any of her features, and hoped the people around her would treat her with respect and ignore visual features in favor of her _personality_.

That was why, whenever men gawked at her or gave her any sort of line, she denied them vehemently. When she'd been interrupted in her thinking by the voice of what seemed to be a troubled man, she'd naturally been wary, but against her better judgment, had turned to answer him, only for him to end up gaping like an idiot at her. She had the right to be annoyed.

Looking over his aqua colored hair and equally exotic -not to mention outlandish- outfit, she settled her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. "Did you want something?"

He seemed to recover what little poise he had and straightened up, looking mildly embarrassed by his open gawking moments before. "Uh, er, yes, actually. This may be a bit sudden, but I have a favor to ask, miss…?" he trailed off, obviously expecting her to introduce herself.

Her brow furrowed further at his audacity. "I don't introduce myself to strangers."

The man tensed for a moment at her sharp tone, but then an easy smile fell onto his lips. "But of course, a beautiful lady such as yourself would be so cautious. I, madam, am Wallace of Sootopolis City. Nice to make your acquaintanceship." Winona's eyes widened quite dramatically when he grabbed her hand and gave it a chaste kiss.

Her lavender eyes glinted dangerously as she pulled her hand away sharply. "I would've preferred a handshake, Wallace." Her mouth twitched as she thought about his theatrics, this time with amusement. "My name is Winona. I'm from Fortree City."

Wallace brightened, seeing the lighter look in her eyes. "Ah, a lovely name for a lovely lady." Winona's mouth twitched upward again, and she raised an elegant eyebrow at his flattery. Wallace smiled. "Now, about that favor…"

Suddenly, Winona raised a hand to silence him. "Sorry, but I don't do favors for people I hardly know."

The smile on his face remained intact. "A bit _overly _cautious, aren't you? What I wish to ask of you is nothing horrendous, just to help me come to a decision of sorts."

Winona looked him over for a moment, trying to come to a decision of her own, while also trying to judge his character. She finally sighed and leaned against the Pokemon Center, eyeing him critically. "I'm listening."

Wallace sighed, too, but with relief. "Thank you, my dear Winona." She frowned and started to interrupt, but he smiled and continued on before she had the chance. "You see, my problem is that I have three clear goals in mind, all glaringly different from each other. All three are dreams that I wish to follow, but it's simply too much, both for me, _and _my pokemon. We are all exhausted. These three goals are-"

"Oh, no." Winona interrupted. "Look, Wallace, I want to help you, but dreams and goals are _personal_. You've got to decide what to do for yourself."

Wallace sighed, seemingly unsurprised. Winona frowned at the thought. How dare he act as though he knew all about her? "Will you please just hear me out, miss Winona?" The woman glared, but settled back into her previous position. "Thank you. Now, as I was saying, I've got three dreams. The first is that I wish to become a Pokemon Coordinator. The second is that I wish to become the Pokemon Master of Hoenn, and the third…" Wallace hesitated, remembering how he didn't want the third option as much as the other two, before continuing, "…the third is that I want to take over the gym in my hometown, Sootopolis."

Winona stiffened, and the man frowned slightly in confusion to her odd reaction. "You want to… take over you hometown's gym?"

Wallace cocked his head to the side, lips turned downward, but nodded. "Er… yes. Is something wrong?"

He was shocked to see a small smile appearing on her face- it was the first he'd seen since meeting her. Winona shook her head. "No. I was just thinking about something, is all. So tell me, which option do you prefer the most?"

Though still confused, Wallace smiled lightly before shaking her head. "That's the thing- I can't decide. I love contests and making my pokemon shine, but I'm quite good at battling as well, and love the satisfaction that comes with beating an opponent. Do you have any opinion on the three options?"

The woman shook her head. "I do, but they'd be biased, I'm afraid. You see, I too am wishing to become the gym leader of my hometown, Fortree. I love battling, and even more-so, desire respect. Respect is one of the most important things to me. I can't help you decide, when inwardly I'd be wanting you to do the same thing as I am."

Wallace smiled. "That's quite noble of you. Still, there's more to life than respect and battling. What about love?" As if to prove his point, he grabbed her hand and looked her directly in the eyes.

She shook her head and brushed his hand away, though he could _swear _he saw a faint blush appear momentarily on her face. "I've got neither the time nor the desire for love. At least, not the kind of which you speak. Now back to your problem, if you will. Since you've yet to make a decision on which dream to follow, I'm assuming you're currently doing all three…?" He nodded, and so she pressed on, "Right then. How far along are you on your goals, then?"

Wallace was momentarily appalled at her lack of concern for her obviously dwindling love life, but then focused on her question. "Well, I've got all the normal rank contest ribbons and half of the eight badges."

Winona processed the information for a moment before concluding, "Well then… if you can't decide, then there _is _a way for you to at least do two. Choose between contest or battles, then go after whichever dreams go along with your choice. If you chose battles, then you could get all the gym badges and _then _come to a decision between the two remaining goals. Choose whichever one suits you most, or has the most benefits. Then, you can do contests later on. Or, you could go with contests now, as you so obviously love them, and then become either gym leader or Hoenn champion later. How does that sound?"

Wallace gaped for a moment, wondering how he'd possibly missed such an obvious yet wonderful solution, before recovering. "It's perfect! That will help me out quite so much! Thank you so very much…" he paused to kneel before her, grabbing her hand and placing another chaste kiss upon it. "…My dear Winona."

The woman blushed darkly before ripping her hand out of his grasp, saying the first thing that came to mind. "Are you trying to seduce me, Wallace? I'll tell you now, it's not going to work!"

Wallace gawked at her flustered outburst, astounded at what she thought. "No, no, no! You've got it all wrong, I swear! I'm not trying to _seduce _you, perish the thought! If anything, I was trying to _court _you."

Winona froze, and Wallace wondered what he'd done wrong. While he pondered, she thawed out and unexpectedly stormed passed him, an unidentifiable look on her face. Before he knew what had happened, she had called out a pokemon, and was climbing on top of it. _That _set him in motion.

"Wait, wait, wait!" The woman paused shortly in her directions to the Altaria. "I don't understand, why are you leaving so suddenly?"

Winona glared at him incredulously. "Why? Because I'm done here, for one. My goal is the next gym, I was just resting here. I helped you out when I didn't have to only so you could turn around and _court _me? I don't think so. You're probably just another man looking for a pretty woman to have as a trophy."

Wallace flinched- it had become increasingly obvious that she was a cynic when it came to love and romance, but that was just _mean_. "That's not true! I would never try to court a woman just because I think she's beautiful! I mean, sure, I was first attracted to you because you _are _beautiful, but in our long conversation, I have discovered another beauty- your personality!"

Winona grimaced, but something about it seemed off. "My personality? You don't even know me yet! And would you _please _stop saying you're trying to _court _me?"

Wallace blinked. "Why?"

It appeared as though she were having trouble keeping a straight face. "Why? Because it's such an old-fashioned term that it's making this conversation sound incredibly _stupid_, when it's supposed to be _serious_!" Giving up on staying serious, Winona broke down and started giggling, before going into full out laughter. All Wallace could do was smile and wait for her to finish, barely restraining himself from falling into the same hysterics- it was clear to him that it had been far too long since she'd laughed like that.

Once she finally got a grip on herself, Winona straightened up on her Altaria, a smile threatening to reappear upon her face. She chanced a glance at Wallace. "I really am leaving. Goodbye, Wallace."

He smiled- at least they were leaving on good terms, so if they ever saw one another again, they could become friends. "Goodbye, my beautiful Winona."

Said woman quirked an eyebrow, but chose to let it go this time, and the Altaria lifted off the ground, hovering for a moment, as she seemed to hesitate. "Oh and Wallace…?"

He cocked his head to the side, confused. "Yes?"

She smiled. "May we pray, that, if we ever meet again, your courting attempts are a bit more successful." And then she flew away, leaving an openly shocked and gaping man standing there.

Wallace felt oddly giddy- they were leaving things on better terms than he'd expected.

Those thoughts in mind, Wallace quickly made up his mind- he would stick to battling for now, and head for the next gym in Lavaridge Town. The fact that he might meet the lovely Winona there was an added bonus that he found himself looking forward to more than the gym itself.

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AN- So, what do all of you think? I think I managed to keep it MILDLY in character, while still having it be totally awesome. Yeah, this is my favorite chapter so far. What about you all? So… *points to review bar with puppy-dog eyes* …Oh come on, you know you want to! Bye all!


	4. Not So Coincidental Flannery's Intro!

AN- Hello all and welcome to the next installation of _Watery Breeze_. I hope you all haven't given up because of the wait. Well, anyway… enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: Thou speak-eth the truth when thou says-eth she owns-eth nothing(eth). Shakespearean language=FUN.

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**Not So Coincidental- Flannery's Introduction!**

Winona prided herself on being the logical sort, and as such wasn't one to believe in coincidences. _Everything has to happen for a reason _was one of her favorite sayings. That was why she found it hard to believe it was by pure accident that she ran into him again outside the Lavaridge gym. …_Him _referring to Wallace, of course.

Wallace, for his part, at least managed to _act _surprised, despite the fact that he'd been hoping for just this sort of encounter with the lovely lady in front of him.

Winona, as if sensing his glee, frowned and crossed her arms suspiciously. "Hello again, Wallace. I certainly didn't expect to see you again so soon. What brings you here?"

A smile immediately found it's way onto the bluenette's (1) face, and he looked down serenely into the eyes of the woman before him. "My dear Winona, it will always be a pleasure to make your company, I'm sure. Still I assure you, our meeting here is nothing but fate's hand at play. I'm here to challenge the gym, you see."

The woman blinked, acutely shocked, but kept her composure firmly intact. "Hmm? Does that mean you've chosen to challenge the gyms, then?" Wallace nodded. "You've truly chosen battling over your passion for contests?" Again, Wallace nodded, wondering where, exactly, she was going with this. "Funny… I thought for sure you'd choose contests, considering your obvious passion and fervor for them."

Wallace stared at the woman for a moment, momentarily dumbfounded, before realizing that she _couldn't _have known he'd choose gyms. She didn't know he chose to follow her. His smile warmed, and he grabbed her hands in his own, his eyes shining. "My dear Winona, what you need to realize is that there are…" here he paused to kiss her hand, causing her face to heat up just slightly, before continuing, "…more types of passion than just those for battling and contests."

Winona quickly snatched her hand back, an odd expression adorning her face. "I-…Wallace, maybe it's in your nature to be so very straightforward, but it's certainly not in _mine_. You clearly wish to pursue some sort of…" she trailed off, fighting a blush, before going on, "…_serious relationship_ with me, and I just _can't _agree to that. I believe I've already expressed my opinion on love, and now I'll tell you this: My dreams and goals are the most important thing to me. Nothing comes before my wish to become the next gym leader of Fortree. Not to mention, I'm far too young for love! I'm only sixteen, and-"

Wallace cut her off, gaping widely. "Sixteen?! Truly?!" She nodded, a bit put off by his intensely stunned reaction. He looked truly shocked, and more than a little upset by the news, looking as if he didn't know whether to fall to the ground and beg for forgiveness, or to pretend he hadn't just assumed she was far older than she actually was. Finally he settled for looking at her sadly and nervously, wringing his hands fretfully. "I-I'm sorry, Winona. I didn't know you were quite so young. I had actually assumed you were older than me- or, at the very least, of age to make your own decisions. I wouldn't have come on so strong had I known you were so young…"

Winona glared, one arm akimbo, the other clenched in a tight fist. "_Excuse _me, but it's awfully presumptuous to assume I can't make my own decisions."

Wallace blinked at her angry reaction, confused. "Er, I'm sorry. I don't get why you're so angry. I'm just saying that legally, you have to run everything by your parents… right?"

The woman's glare held so much ice behind it, Wallace was sure he'd suffer from frostbite. Suddenly, her expression changed… to one of sadness. "My mother died a while back. My father…" Fire returned to her eyes, and she suddenly looked murderous. "…My father _deserves _to die."

The aqua-haired man was shocked. He had to admit, maybe he didn't know her quite as well as he wished he did, but that sort of comment seemed so terribly wrong coming from the usually-calm woman. He wondered briefly just _what _the man had did to earn that degree of hate before focusing on the immediate problem: Winona was, basically, an orphan, and he'd abrasively reminded her of said fact, though unwittingly.

This time, he _did_ fall to the ground in a bow, surprising the lavender-haired girl greatly in the process. "Wallace! Wh-what do you think you're doing?" she hissed, glancing around to see who all was watching the embarrassing debacle.

Wallace paid the outsiders no heed, his attention solely on the woman in front of him. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize I was offending you so! Please, Winona, don't hate me!"

Once again, the woman scanned the vicinity. The longer he spent kneeling before her like that, the more attention they gathered. A flush of mortification spread across her face. "I-um…" All those eyes watching the proceedings made her uncomfortable. Winona hated being in the spotlight. "…Fine. I'll forgive you, idiot, if you'll just _get up_!" The man was off the ground and dusting himself off so quickly, she thought she'd get whiplash from how quickly she had to crane her neck.

Wallace smiled. "I'm assuming you, too, came here for a gym battle, yes?" Winona nodded, rubbing her hurting neck. Wallace momentarily considering massaging it for her before realizing she'd probably kill him if he tried, the stubborn woman. "Well then, ladies first." That said, he opened the gym door and motioned for her to go on.

Winona raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were going to stop the theatrics, considering I'm _so young_." She walked by him and into the gym without waiting for a reply, unsurprised when he followed her in.

Wallace gave her a smile that, on anyone else, would've appeared almost feral, but on him, just didn't look quite right. "I never said any such thing. I'll respect your age and not be quite so… _forward_ with you, but that doesn't change the fact that I like you. I'm just going to take it slower, is all."

Winona fought the automatic blush that sprang up at his words, berating herself for not realizing his intentions sooner while at the same time cursing him for his stubbornness. Instead of remaining silent -which would have been a sure sign that his words got to her- or yelling at him -because he was _still _being too forward for her liking-, she opted to ask him something she'd been wondering for a while. "How old are you, Wallace?"

"Eighteen," he answered easily. Hmm. Two years older, and yet he still chose to pursue her. Who _was _he, to act so free and self-assured?

She chose not to comment and instead focused on the matter at hand: Her gym battle. They'd been walking around the gym for quite a while now, and neither a trainer nor the arena where they were to fight the gym leader had been spotted. Winona bit her lip at the oddity and called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Both of them froze when they heard a young, feminine voice call out- not because of _how _young whoever the voice belonged to sounded, but because it had seemingly come out of nowhere, as there was no one in sight. "You here for a gym battle?"

Wallace let out a halting laugh. "Of course. Why else would we be here?"

Again the two froze, this time because the lights seemed to have dimmed- and when I say dimmed, I mean _went out_. Blackness engulfed them. The voice spoke again, and in complete darkness, it was a bit chilling, despite the innocence reflected in it. "Well then, what are you waiting for? Keep going down the hall and you'll find who you're looking for."

The two hesitantly started down the hall, Wallace leading. Winona wondered why, and then realized he thought he was protecting her. A small amount of heat graced her cheeks, and she wondered whether she should be flattered that he'd want to protect her or offended that he thought she needed protection in the first place. She kept silent, and eventually, Wallace stopped. She barely managed to avoid running into him.

"What's wrong?"

He turned his head to look at her, his bright aqua eyes and hair the only things visible. "I've run into a door."

Winona blinked. Did he realize how close they were? No, wait, this wasn't the time for those kind of thoughts. "Do you think we should open it?"

The mysterious voice suddenly came back, seemingly irate. "Duh! Quit flirting and get in here!"

Winona flinched, glad the darkness covered up the redness of her cheeks. "Someone should teach her some manners…" she huffed.

Wallace chuckled lightly before opening the door. Light flooded out, and the two were temporarily blinded. When she felt it safe, Winona opened her eyes. She couldn't help but gawk slightly at what she saw.

An enormous arena made of many rocks and crags, red, she assumed, from heat, stood before them- obviously the place to battle the gym leader. However, that was not what shocked her.

On the gym leader's side of the arena stood a young girl with a shock of bright red hair pulled back into a ponytail. She couldn't have been older than eleven. The girl cleared her throat and spoke, clearly the one who had lead them here.

"Hello and welcome to the Lavaridge gym, home to fire pokemon! I'm Flannery, your opponent! And in case you haven't realized…" The girl struck a battle pose, a pokeball ready. "…That makes me the _gym leader_! Get ready to battle!" (2)

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AN- And… that's it! *shot* I'm sorry for leaving it at a cliffhanger, really. But it was this or go on for god-knows-how-many-more-pages. For those of you who are going, _What?! Flannery's not the gym leader yet! What's going on?!_ please read my (2) bullet. It will sort of explain. Hope you keep reading and enjoying the story!

(1)- Yes, I made the word bluenette up, so sue me (for those who don't know, bluenette means someone with blue hair. Ya know, like brunettes are people with brown hair?). That's what Wallace is, so it fits.

(2)- I _know _Flannery is not yet the gym leader. There is an explanation for this, and it will come… in the next chapter. I'll tell you this much, I did _not _change the story and make a really, really, _really _young Flannery be gym leader. She's, uh, not the gym leader, guys. I'd say more, but that would give it away…


	5. Battle! And the Gym Leader?

AN- Hello again and welcome to _Watery Breeze_. I hope you guys continue to enjoy this fic and appreciate the mildly quick update!

Disclaimer: I'll keep it simple and say it slowly… Ready? Okay… iownnothingcauseifidideverythingwouldbewaydifferent! (Did you catch that? 'I own nothing 'cause if I did everything would be way different)

**Last Time-**_"Hello and welcome to the Lavaridge gym, home to fire pokemon! I'm Flannery, your opponent! And in case you haven't realized…" The girl struck a battle pose, a pokeball ready. "…That makes me the __**gym leader**__! Get ready to battle!"_

* * *

**Battle! And… the Gym Leader?**

Wallace, for the most part, was a believer. He was _not _gullible, by any means, but he believed most everything was possible. He, like Winona, had his own favorite sayings, all quite different from hers, as his views differed greatly from those of the _Have-to-see-it-to-believe-it _woman he was currently pursuing. One of _his _favorite sayings was, _Anything's possible if you believe_. Cheesy, yes, but true.

Still, even Wallace had a hard time believing the young girl across the volcanic arena could possibly be gym leader. After all, she hardly looked old enough to hold a _pokeball_, much less lead a _gym_.

Winona, apparently, agreed, as she appraised the child across from her critically, a lethal glint in her eye. "I don't know who you think you are, Flannery, but I hope you know impersonating a gym leader is _illegal_. You could be put in juvenile detention for this!"

The child in question narrowed her eyes, anger and fire burning behind them. "And I _told _you I'm the gym leader! I'm not lying! I've even got the badges right here, see?!" She paused to whip out a case full of flame-like badges, clearly what was won here at the gym. "Only the _gym leader _can possess the Heat Badge here at the Lavaridge gym!"

Wallace went to the stands watched from the sidelines as Winona walked to the challenger's corner, poised and ready to battle, though still suspicious and, probably, inwardly seething. It was really just another side of the alluring woman he'd yet to see.

As he was wont to do, Wallace found himself comparing the people and events around him to the beautiful elements of nature. Winona… was clearly water. For the most part, she was calm and collected, like the slowly rippling tide. But occasionally, she got angry, and when she did, watch out. Her anger would come crashing down on you like a huge tidal wave, drowning you in her fury.

If Winona was water, then Wallace would be the opposite, fire. He was always passionate and, at times, headstrong. When he agrees to do something, he'll not stop until whatever it is he agreed to is accomplished. He never gives up, and pursues his goals with passion and fervor, like that of a searing fire, burning it's way into what it wants.

And if Wallace was fire… well, Flannery was… he frowned in thought. Flannery was also fire, but not quite in the same concept, he supposed. The child was headstrong and stubborn, that much was certain, and also very hot-tempered. She was more like an explosive than anything else, really. Touch or treat her the wrong way, and Ka-Boom! Like her own personal volcano, that one. She needed to learn to control that erupting temper… and learn not to run her mouth.

The man snapped out his thoughts when Winona spoke, a clear note of irritation ringing through her voice. "And how do I know you didn't steal those badges? Or make fake ones?"

The younger girl flared up instantly. "What?! You don't even know me, and you're assuming I'm a _thief_?! Grr… fine! I'll _prove _I'm gym leader by beating you in a battle! Go, Slugma!" Before you could blink, the child had whipped out a pokeball, calling forth the creature inside it.

After the initial white flash, the two challengers looked to see… a slimy looking, lava- or magma-built red… _thing_. Both lost their composure and gawked for just a moment: It wasn't that the creature was rare, by any means, just that neither of them had ever seen one, as it was native only near Mt. Chimney.

After getting over her initial shock, Winona pulled out a pokeball and called forth the best pokemon for getting the job done quickly- she wasn't going to waste time fighting a child. "Go, Pelipper! Let's end this charade!" (1)

A pelican-like creature shot forth, crooning its response to its trainer in a low baritone. Wallace blinked, a frown flitting across his face. "A Pelipper? Does she… intend to show no mercy?"

The redhead across the arena gaped at the giant bird. "A water type, no way!" She stopped briefly to point an accusing finger at the woman who'd called the pokemon in question. "That's not fair! You've got a type advantage! You're cheating!"

Winona grit her teeth and glared. "A real gym leader would know that using pokemon isn't cheating at all: It's _strategy_. Or are you saying you've been lying to me?" Flannery glared back resentfully, then shook her head harshly. "Then chin up and face whatever happens. A true gym leader takes full responsibility."

Wallace paused. He'd just been about to go down and stop her -he wasn't about to let her tear an innocent child to shreds in battle- but… what she'd just said had sounded more like advice than anything else. Almost as if… Winona was secretly trying to help the young girl, while still trying to attempt to win a badge at the same time. He looked dubiously at the woman of his interest before sitting back down in the stands. He really didn't know much about her at all.

The young spirit before Winona frowned in confusion at the woman's words before shaking them off. Flannery would figure out what the lady meant later. "Okay then. It doesn't matter what type of pokemon you have anyway, 'cause you're still going down!" The redhead punched an enthusiastic arm in the air while yelling out her orders. "Slugma, Tackle!"

Winona waited patiently for the slow pokemon to get close to her bird before calmly giving her own orders. "Pelipper, dodge. Then use Wing Attack!"

The child shrieked as, quick as lightning, the huge bird lifted off into the air, easily avoiding Slugma and leaving the creature wide open in the process. Pelipper crooned an affirmative to its trainer, and then its wings started to glow.

Flannery panicked. "Oh, no, Slugma! Get out of there! Dodge it! Do _something_!"

Her pokemon, while having no way to escape the swifter pokemon, improvised (most likely out of fear, as it pretty much acted on its own) by shooting out an Ember attack, slowing down the bird tremendously as it's wings took the brunt of the soon-to-be third-degree burns.

Winona cringed at her pokemon's cries. "Don't give up, Pelipper! Break through and attack!"

Wallace winced at the sound brought forth from the impact of the two pokemon. Winona really wasn't holding back… at least, he didn't think so. He didn't know how good she was, so how she was battling was an arguable topic. The kid was doing better than he'd thought, too. Though clearly, she _wasn't _the gym leader. True gym leaders didn't panic under pressure or order their pokemon to do '_something_'when faced with a challenge.

A moment later, the large bird lifted off the ground, burn marks marring it's wings, making it's flight a little unsteady. The Slugma stayed on the ground, trying it's best to get up, but not having much luck.

Winona flinched at the sight of the beat-up pokemon. Why couldn't it just _faint _already? She didn't want to harm it anymore than necessary, but the battle couldn't end until one pokemon was down. She sighed, mentally apologizing to the young girl across the arena. "Pelipper… Water Gun."

The bird crooned weakly before taking in a big breath, clearly deciding to release one powerful shot instead of a steady stream with mild force behind it.

Flannery stopped breathing. "No. _NO_! You can't do that, just look how hurt Slugma is already from that Wing Attack! If you attack him with water, who knows if he'll recover?!"

Winona sighed, truly regretful. "I'm sorry, child, but I have to end the battle. Pelipper… stop charging and release your Water Gun." The redhead fell to the ground, looking ready to cry. The woman felt like a horrible person. Wallace just looked on in shock. Was Winona really going to do this?

Just before the deciding blow was released, however, a sharp, booming voice made them cease-fire. "STOP!"

Wallace and Winona both froze, shocked, while Flannery quickly jumped up, looking teary-eyed and very distraught. An elderly man walked into the arena behind the child, a cane helping him every step of the way.

Flannery, wide-eyed, couldn't help the one word that escaped her lips: "Grandpa."

Winona, being mildly close, heard the silent familiarization and began looking between the two, one old and frail, the other young and energetic, in shock. Wallace, having not heard that little tidbit, just stared at the man in confusion.

The elderly man hobbled to his granddaughter's side, a stern look of disapproval on his face. He stumbled a bit, and Flannery immediately caught him, staying by him to help sturdy him. "Flannery, what are you doing?"

She furrowed her brow, temporarily forgetting about her nearly unconscious pokemon. "Well you see grandpa, it's just that, well… I thought I'd take care of the gym for you. Since you've been having those pains lately. I know it was wrong of me to… take the badges from you and run off, but battling is hard for you now, and… I just wanted to help out."

Winona blinked. Wait, what? So Flannery _had _stolen the badges… from her grandfather, no less. But… wouldn't that make him…?

The elderly man sighed before taking in the two strangers in the room. "You two, I apologize. My granddaughter was trying to help me out by watching the gym for me." His gaze traveled from Winona in the challenger's corner to Wallace in the stands and, eventually, to the injured pokemon still in the arena. "Come, let's all go to the Pokemon Center. I can see that both sides here have suffered damage, and are in need of healing."

He began hobbling towards the door, a worried Flannery supporting him every step of the way. Wallace and Winona exchanged confused and concerned glances before slowly filing in behind him.

Once outside in the light, the man turned his head to smile at them, eyes clear and bright. "Oh, and in case you haven't realized, my naughty little granddaughter isn't the gym leader here." He turned fully towards them, seeming to regain a bit of his strength as he did so. "I am." (2)

* * *

AN- Yay, we finally get a bit of the truth! And again, I left it at a cliffy due to how long it would've been else wise. Seriously, I wanted all of Lavaridge to be one chapter, but it's gonna take at least another two. What can I say? It's important to the story. So, yeah, hope you enjoyed the mildly quick update, despite the fact that this chapter sucked (too much battle and drama, not _any _romance. Although, taking it slow is probably a good thing).

(1)- I know, I know. Last you all heard, Winona had a Wingull, not a Pelipper. Let's just say she evolved it sometime after meeting Wallace. I might bring it up in the next chapter.

(2)- Yeah, I can sorta remember in the manga, Flannery saying she took over the gym after her grandfather passed away, so I thought I'd give the old dude a cameo _before _he croaked (*gasp* I sound so rude! Sorry, nameless elder...). What happened to her parents is never explained, so I'm gonna be bringing that up next chapter. I can't give it all away, but the title itself should give you a hint about a lot of what happens in it: **The Truth Comes Out! True Battle!**

Ta ta for now!


	6. The Truth Comes Out! True Battle!

AN- Uh, yeah… I really have no excuse for not updating, unfortunately. Sheer laziness and wanting to update _other _stories. Anyways, hopefully this chapter isn't too bad. Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: *sigh* This is getting old… I own nothing except the plot of the story.

**Extra**- I've got a lot of asterisks in this chapter after the names of people. At the end, I'll have explanations as to what the asterisked names mean.

* * *

**The Truth Comes Out! True Battle (Part 1)!**

The Pokemon Center was relatively quiet. A few trainers hung about conversing whilst they waited for their pokemon to heal, but other than that, the group was pretty silent as they sat at a table. A semi-awkward silence hung in the air around the table. Wallace shifted uncomfortably. He hated silence, especially this kind.

Flannery huffed. She hated silence even more. "Come on, already! Don't just sit there! This is boring!"

Winona glanced up from where she'd been staring a hole into the table. Flannery's grandfather sighed, shaking his head at the young girl's outburst. "Now Flannery, that's no way to act to those you've been treating disrespectfully. You'd best apologize, young lady."

Said redhead bowed her head, ponytail falling onto her shoulders lightly. "I'm sorry, you two. I tricked you."

Wallace smiled warmly, any malice he'd been feeling prior to her apology evaporating (not that he'd felt that much resentment in the first place). "It's okay, miss. I'm sure I speak for the both of us when I say we understand your intentions were pure, that you meant no harm. We forgive you."

Winona raised an eyebrow, resisting the urge to berate him for speaking for her. She certainly _didn't _understand why the child had felt the need to act as a gym leader and do all those other irresponsible acts. "Well, I wouldn't quite say that, but I suppose I'll let this act slide." Her gaze slid to the elderly man in front of her, who had yet to introduce himself as anything other than the true gym leader. "Sir, she's your granddaughter, correct? You might want to keep a better eye on her…"

The man in question smiled. "But of course. I try my best to look after her. It's become a bit hard these days, though, what with her energy…" His focus seemed to wander, and Winona frowned in confusion. Eventually, his eyes met hers and he smiled lightly. "Oh, I've just realized! I've yet to properly introduce myself, have I? My name is *Yasahiro. Yasahiro *Brant."

Winona nodded. "It's nice to make your acquaintance, Yasahiro-san*. My name is Winona, and the man beside me is Wallace."

Yasahiro smiled. "Ah, so your name is Winona. If you would…" He stood up from his side of the booth carefully, grabbing his cane. He motioned for her to do the same. "…Come with me outside for a moment?"

Winona frowned in confusion, but did as he said. The two walked out the door. Wallace eyed the door suspiciously, wishing it were transparent so he could see what the elder had wanted from the woman. He glanced down at Flannery, who'd lain her head down on the table out of boredom. "Flannery… your grandfather's never done anything… _inappropriate_ to a woman, right?"

The girl cocked her head in bewilderment, eyeing Wallace oddly. "I don't know what you're talking about, weirdo."

* * *

Outside, Winona watched the man who'd come to a stop in front of her cautiously. "Elder, was there something you wanted from me?" The man in question sighed and began to turn towards her, but suddenly his knees gave out, and he crumpled to the ground. Winona rushed to his side and helped sturdy him. "Yasahiro-san! Are you alright?"

The man tried to wave away her worries, but couldn't release his hands from his cane without losing his balance. He cracked a smile instead. "I'm fine, miss. There's a bench just to your left. If you'd please help me there…"Winona wordlessly guided him to the bench, where she then sat down next to him, staring in concern at him. Maybe he was okay with it, but it was obvious to her that he was in bad health, and all this action couldn't be good for him. Now she sort of understood why Flannery hadn't wanted him to battle. At the rate he was going, he could pass away at any moment.

She cleared her throat. "Yasahiro-san… are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should rest or see a doctor…"

Once again, he waved her off. "I'm used to my troubles by now, Winona-san. My body is giving out, and I know that. If I can only last a few more years…" She looked at him in panic. Was he so willing to accept death in exchange for a few more years? What were his motives for such rash thinking? Sensing her perplexity, the elder smiled. "…Don't worry. I'll explain it all in good time. Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I brought you out here…" Winona nodded. "…You're curious, right? About Flannery's parents, I mean."

The woman blinked, stunned. "How… did you know that I was-"

He cut her off. "It was an educated guess. She's barely ten years old, so who wouldn't wonder where her parents are? Now… would you like me to tell you? About my son and daughter-in-law?"

* * *

"So are you and that lady out there-"

"Winona," Wallace said.

Flannery rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure, Winona, whatever. Anyway, as I was saying before I was so _rudely interrupted_, are you and her like dating?"

A flush appeared on his face. "Well, no, b-but I'm hopeful that one day…"

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "If you're not dating why are ya traveling together? Seems a bit fishy to me…"

The flush spread. "W-well, I couldn't expect you to understand immediately. Let me explain it to you…"

* * *

"Flannery's mother, *Brianna, was the gym leader here for three years. Then, my son, *Noah, and I moved here. We originally came here for the hot springs, which are supposed to have a sort of remedial quality to them. They've helped my condition quite a bit, actually. Then… the two met, and fell in love. It was what one might consider to be a whirlwind romance. They married just one short year after meeting, and soon after had little Flannery. My son, also being talented in working with fire pokemon, subbed in as gym leader while Brianna was on maternity leave."

Winona listened to Yasahiro intently. Then she thought about what he'd said. "Yasahiro-san… you said your daughter-in-law _was _the gym leader here?"

The man in question smiled, albeit sadly. "Ah, you picked up on that? I could tell you were a sharp one. Anyways, the four of us all were one happy family for six years after Flannery came along. Brianna, who'd been a very independent woman beforehand, turned out to have quite the maternal instinct, and let Noah run the gym more often that not so she could look after her precious child. But then, when Flannery was just over six years old…"

Winona tensed. The way he was speaking… she had a bad feeling that she knew what he was going to say, and she certainly didn't like it. "Then?"

Yasahiro sighed, eyes sorrowful. "After Flannery turned six, all the gym leaders were called together for the annual meeting. Considering Brianna and Noah pretty much _both _ran the gym at this point, they both had to set out, leaving me to look after Flannery. They chose to take a car, hoping it would be faster, despite neither having completely finished learning how to drive. They knew the basics, of course, but still…"

"They never came back? They got lost, or abandoned her?"

The man looked sharply at her, and she flinched slightly. "No. If they had a choice, they'd always return. They loved Flannery more than life, itself. She was spoiled rotten as a child, I tell you. But… they were driving through a narrow forest path and were attacked by a swarm of Beedrill. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem. They could have called out their pokemon and easily defeated their attackers. But there were other travelers around, and they couldn't risk letting them get caught in the crossfire. And so they opted to act as a distraction. They provoked all the wild Beedrill into following them, and drove away as fast as they could. They were on the verge of escaping, but upon exiting the forest, came upon a sudden turn. Had either of them known how to properly control the car, they could've made it, but with no such knowledge… they went over the edge of a cliff."

Winona gasped. This was far worse than anything she could've envisioned. "Were they… ever found?"

Yasahiro hesitated. "…Yes. Two weeks later, they were found at the bottom of the cliff. The crash had apparently scared of the Beedrill, but… other pokemon didn't seem to care. It appears that some Mightyena tried to make a meal out of them. As you can guess, their corpses were _not _seen at the funeral. Flannery and I were devastated." His voice was shaking by the end. Winona felt nauseous.

* * *

"…So let me get this straight. You followed that lady-"

"Winona." Wallace interrupted her again. Flannery was either purposely pretending to not care, in which case it was annoying the heck out of him, or actually very forgetful. Wallace was beginning to think it was the latter, as this was _at least _the third time he'd reminded her of Winona's name.

Flannery sighed exasperatedly. "Yeah, Winona, _whatever_, I don't care. The point is, you followed her all the way from Fallarbor to here, right?" Wallace nodded. "And… you barely know her, correct?" Wallace sighed and nodded once more, wondering where she was getting with this.

"Is there a point to all this interrogation, Flannery?"

Said girl stared at him for a moment before speaking. "Oh my god."

Wallace blinked. "What-"

She cut him off, jumping up and pointing an accusing finger at him. "You're a _stalker_!"

The flush from before made a great comeback. Glancing around at all the stares he was receiving, Wallace sighed. Optimist or not, he hated life sometimes.

* * *

Winona stared at the elderly man beside her, too many thoughts running through her mind to possibly comprehend them all. "I… I'm not sure what to say. Why… did you tell me all this? It couldn't have _just _been because I was curious."

Yasahiro smiled and nodded. "Correct. You're a sharp one indeed… I told you, Winona-san, for many reasons. First is that, well, I can sense… a certain air about you. One of resolve, dipped in sorrow. I suppose you could say I feel a certain kinship towards you, despite this being our first meeting. Second… I want you to understand my situation and _not _feel any pity towards me or my granddaughter."

Winona could definitely understand not wanting to be pitied, valuing respect so much herself, but still, she had to ask. "Why?"

The man smiled and stood up uneasily before turning towards her, a Poké Ball in hand. "…So you won't go easy on me, of course."

* * *

AN- I know after such a long time, a cliffhanger is NOT what you guys are wanting, but… it's better than nothing, right? Truthfully, I've kind of gotten into other series' now, so, even though I'll definitely try to finish this, I won't update all that often. Sorry!

*Yasahiro: It means serene (ya know, like tranquil)

*Brant: It means fire, basically (because he's the FIRE gym leader)

*-san: It is an ending the Japanese use to indicate respect

*Brianna: It means strength (I thought Flannery's mom should be strong and independent, ya know?)

*Noah: It means peaceful, tranquil, ect. (the opposite to Flannery's mom, he is the water to her fire)


End file.
